Share files and suffer the consequences

Editor:

After much deliberation about my current legal situation with UCSD Student Policies and Judicial Affairs, I feel that it is important for me to inform the student body of a situation that has been substantially unique to me. At the end of fall quarter in 2003, I one day went to turn on my computer. I immediately noticed that my Internet was not working. Not disturbed by this highly regular occurrence with my computer, I began to attempt different troubleshooting methods for my Internet service. Soon I realized that something was very wrong. I contacted Academic Computing Services and they informed me that my computer Internet connection had been suspended because of multiple computer violations. Alarmed, I immediately set up a meeting with an ACS manager, Chuck, who told me that I was guilty of file-sharing.

Truthfully, when all of this happened, I was in a bit of disbelief. I didn’t understand what file-sharing was and the consequences of it today. Sure, I had heard many different cases of it on the web, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I never thought it could happened to me. But I was extremely wrong.

When I first got to college, the first thing I did with my computer was download Kazaa. I was thrilled at the fact that I could download songs and movies for free off the Internet at very high speeds. But I never gave any consideration to what I was doing. I didn’t think that maybe, by me stealing songs off the Internet, I could be causing harm upon the music industry. I didn’t think that by sharing files with others that I could be convicted of a crime as well. Here at UCSD though, ACS protects students from any federal legal action that could be taken upon them. Student Internet activities are monitored well and this is precisely how I got into trouble. ACS sent me a warning at the end of October about my failure to comply with ACS rules about file-sharing. I have to embarrassingly say that I joked about the warning, but nevertheless disabled file sharing on Kazaa. I bought a new computer shortly after and again installed Kazaa, but this time, forgot to disable file-sharing. This mistake has gotten me into trouble over the last few months. At the end of November, I didn’t have Internet service for 2 weeks, and I was referred to Student Policies and Judicial Affairs.

I had to meet with the dean of my college and discuss my situation. After discussing different possibilities for me to redeem myself and find good faith with ACS as well as the Student Policies and Judicial Affairs office, we came up with a plan for me to teach other UCSD students not to make the same mistake that I did. File-sharing is wrong, and against UCSD policy. Regardless of the argument existing that says file-sharing is OK, it is simply not worth it for your Internet connection to be disabled and for you to have to deal with Student Policies and Judicial Affairs.

Today, I have disabled Kazaa. I no longer take files from the Internet or share with other people. I understand the consequences of file-sharing, and all people should as well. I am lucky that ACS protected me from any federal problems I could have had. I’m glad that I have learned a valuable lesson about this today: Internet laws today are taken very seriously by the government and our university, and if we don’t respect them, we can get into serious trouble.

— Tomas Novak

John Muir College sophomore

Punk Voters’ political savvy is questionable

Editor:

This article is for all you kids out there with the Clash and Velvet Underground T-shirts you charged on your dad’s credit card at Urban Outfitters. The ones that galvanize your buddies to join in anti-Republican chants. The same ones who’ve never watched an episode of “Crossfire,” picked up The New York Times, or justified any legitimate stance on the current administration without quoting an Op Ivy song. Sorry, that’s right. You were too busy strategically pinning your black Jansports with safety pins to prove how “punk” you are.

Oh, the irony of the institutionalization of anarchy USA. Original punk music was about freedom from societal confines, free thinking and a cathartic release for those who felt like the irrationality of the world was leading their generation into destruction. Punk was and still is a very dynamic social movement and the music is the voice. But at the recent UCSD-sponsored Punk Voter Tour, that voice was perverted by many belligerent concert-goers.

I don’t want to belittle the music, but I think the venue did that for us. Free is free, but I didn’t know my UCSD ID afforded me some good old political indoctrination. So much for that punk free-thinking. Granted, Jello Biafra’s eloquent acrimony was well received considering the legitimacy he garnered from the epic Dead Kennedys. But the deluge of anachronistic CNN video clips from the first Gulf War juxtaposed with Fox News blurbs from last week were ridiculous, simply manipulating the soft minds of those black-nail-polished, spike-belted 16-year-olds into thinking that this ignorant government skepticism was actually their own.

For the “liberals,” I suggest we compile a video of President Jimmy Carter and his decisions regarding the Ayatollah Khomeini. Perhaps JFK’s decisions at the Bay of Pigs that almost led us into a nuclear holocaust? To centralize the issues of a failing international structure, the decline of Pax Americana on a president is almost ludicrous, but convenient. I understand I am over-simplifying. And true, I am a registered Republican and was a bit out of my milieu, but so were a lot of students in the crowd just out for some solid sets as an alternative to the stale silence of Geisel.

I do not claim to be punk in any way, but I don’t support the abrasive outbursts of the crowd’s neo-conservatives either. All I am saying is, don’t be that guy. That guy screaming “Fuck Bush” ad nauseam, too sloppy to even register to vote. He was an embarrassment for those of us who oppose Bush on educated grounds. Progressive ideas are essential to the survival of the punk generation. Ignorant pugnacity is not punk. So instead of using those two hours it takes you to get that “I don’t give a fuck” mohawk or to memorize the life history of Sid Vicious, listen to those POLI 142K lectures, find out who Thomas Friedman is, and perhaps develop a rational solution to all that social angst.

— Jacqueline N. Goodman John Muir College senior

Ed Wu’s column had glaring inaccuracies

Editor:

I let the first one slide. I wrote off Ed Wu’s ridiculously ill-informed opinion article (April 1) as a continuation of the Guardian’s April Fool’s prank. I even tried to schedule a meeting with him to discuss his story, but he didn’t show up and now I am forced to read another poorly researched article (April 15) fraught with flawed claims about athletics at UCSD.

First and foremost, let me remind Mr. Wu that four of the five candidates sought the endorsement of the 600-plus student athletes through their representative body, the Triton Athletic Council. Jenn Pae did not pander or make false promises, her honesty and commitment to Triton athletics won her the support, appreciation and credibility of UCSD’s student athletes.

Secondly, had Mr. Wu done any substantive research, he would have discovered that Triton Tide is an A.S. service and is 99 percent funded by the Associated Students: it is the A.S. president who submits the A.S. budget. If he calls doing a job successfully “pandering,” then I think it is about time for Mr. Wu to start “pandering” to the students who pick up the Guardian.

In addition to unfairly chastising our president-elect, Mr. Wu decided to once again venture into his favorite venue of unfounded criticism of the intercollegiate athletics department. Yes, our fee referendum does allocate student fees toward athletics. But that referendum was not only written at the absolute minimum level of funding but was also approved in one of the highest voted-in elections in memory, receiving more than two-thirds support of the 29 percent of students who turned out to vote.

Apparently, Mr. Wu once again forgot to conduct any meaningful research or interviews. If he had, I am sure someone would have informed him that two-thirds of UCSD voters care about athletics.

While Mr. Wu’s obvious disdain for athletics, spirit and a broader sense of community at UCSD has permanently clouded his judgment, I invite anyone interested in making a lasting change to our campus climate to attend a Triton Tide meeting. Meetings are held every Monday at 4 p.m. on the third floor of Price Center.

— Jordan Cross

A.S. Commissioner of Athletic Relations